Spin Semiconductor

I'm doing a board layout now in DipTrace, and trying to remember Frank's constant admonition to keep a solid ground plane, I realized there are a few good examples of this right in front of my face, if I would only just look at them.

http://spinsemi.com/app_download/M16_PCB.jpg

http://spinsemi.com/app_download/3K_PCB.jpg

http://spinsemi.com/app_download/M16_PCB.jpg

This isn't really easy to do in DipTrace (the autorouter would never give you this result).

True, I really like DipTrace and we use it in house but the autorouter is only OK. I tend to hand route my boards as I can see better routes than the autorouter or better changes to open up a path. If you are designing a production PCB I suggest 4 layer, top and bottom for routing and inner layers for ground and power planes (no routing on them, no exception). This provides nice solid planes under all the components and traces for return current.

I also use Diptrace almost exclusively these days and always route manually, the autorouter is like all software routers and not great. I find the easiest way is to draw out the board outline then drag the parts that will have a set position like jacks pots switches etc into place. Then one by one I place each component where I want it and start linking the traces. I find this approach much faster and neater than using autoroute and also quicker to edit any changes later.

Digital Larry, you're not on /r/diypedals as HolyCity are you? I think I might have had a short exchange with you on PCBs there.

I've just finished testing a prototype PCB in Eagle and with a two-layer board and sensible component placement I was able to use the autorouter to do much of the board. I normally manually route, but the FV1 pins became very complex and a combination of autoroute and manual cleanup ended up resulting in a viable board.

That said, I've heard that 4 layer can make your life a lot easier - and most of my routing pain was ground et cetera, so if I had more experience in that area, maybe I'd have taken that avenue...

the_frey wrote:Digital Larry, you're not on /r/diypedals as HolyCity are you? I think I might have had a short exchange with you on PCBs there.

If there's some other Digital Larry out there I need to know about it, after all I have a (cough) reputation...